Swinging door



June 16, 1953 `v. MGLEAN SWINGING DOOR Filed Jan. 2O 1950 I VVF/V70@ V. Mau/W Patented `lune 16, 1953 UNITED sTAres 1@sur oFFICE SWINGING DOOR Vincent McLean, Hollis, N. Y., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., va corporation of New York Application January 20, 1950, Serial No. 139,603

v2 Claims.

Vsingle or double swinging doors between certain portions of buildings or leading outdoors from buildings, and this is particularly true in factories and Warehouses where various articles are transported within the factory or warehouse or .to outdoor loading platforms. The transportation of such articles is, in many cases, accomplished by use of motor driven trucks, and for this reason it is desirable that any doors through which it becomes necessary to move such trucks he freely movable to open positionby causing the truck to strike the doors, frequently 'at full speed of the truck. Doors heretofore used for this purpose have usually been constructed of wood or steel or some other relatively heavy and bulky material, and it has been found that such doorsexhibit many disadvantages. Among these` disadvantages is the fact that if such doors are made of light construction, they will notwithstand the impacts to which they are subjected and, if they are made heavy enough to withn stand the impacts of the trucks, their inertia isso great that they will be torn from their supports.

It is an object of this invention' to provide a light, relatively resilient metallic swinging door. One type of door illustrating certain features of the invention may comprise a sheet of alumiv(Cl. 18S-46) 2 as when struck by a truck, shown in vdotted lines;

num alloy, preferably in the form of one of the commercially available alloys thereof. The metallic sheet should beA of a thickness commensurate with thel overall area of the door to thereby preserve its light weight and resilience, Whileat the same timethe thickness should also besuch as to withstand the impacts to which it is subjected and yet not be permanently deformed. The single metallic sheet is suitably reinforced or strengthened on the hinged side, as Well as on the free side, and is preferably'vertically corrugated or crimped in order to `provide for greater rigidity in one direction.

A better understanding ofthe invention rmay be had by referring to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein l Fig. 1 is a front view of a door embodying one formof the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the door taken along the line 2 2 ofiFig. 1 showing it in full lines in its closed position and showing it flexed,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of Lthe hinged side of the door taken along line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged Vsectional View of a `preferred construction of the outer edge "of the door; and

Figs. 5 and 6' are enlarged cross sectional views of alternate methods of securing the door `to the hinges.

Referring to Fig. 1, a wall I0, having 'an opening therein, 'has the opening suitably encased in a metallic framework Il, `whereby the vertical portion of the framework I I acts asa jamb, which is separately indicated at I2. The opening is closed `byfdoub1e doors, each comprising a single-sheet I3 of a vertically corrugated or crimped aluminum or other relatively light metal or metal alloy. An aluminum alloy manufactured by the Aluminum' Company of America lunder the name vof Alclad No. vZLi'ST has been found suitable for this purpose. This alloy has a tensile strength of 65,000 to '70,000l pounds per square inch and a yield strength of1`53,000 to 66,000 pounds per square inch. This `material has the requisite properties of lightness, strength, andresilience, but other materials having the required properties may be used. Thefsheet I3, which forms a door, is suitably hinged 'by aplu- Vrality :of hinges I4, which are rsecured toa vertical metallic hanging strip l5 (Fig. 3), mounted within the jamb I2. The single sheet .of light metal i3 preferably is vabout .125 inch in thickness and has a number of vertically placed corrugationstherein to prevent the door from bending or iiexing transversely or alonga horizontal line when struckiby a truck. However, the door glas, encased in a suitable frame I8, may also beprovided in the door.

Referring in detail `to Fig. 3, a method of securing the sheet I3 to the hinges I4 may comprise forming the sheet I3 in such a manner that it deiines a tubular box-like rigid portion I9 of substantially rectangular cross section. The tubular portion IS is adapted rto be secured to one strap of the hinge I4, which is here shown as a conventional double-acting hinge, by means of a reinforcing piece 2l, which is nested within the tubular portion I9 opposite each hinge IA. Each reinforcing piece 2I is suitably tapped to receive a plurality of screws 22, which function to secure the sheet I3 to the strap 2S on the hinge I4. A second strap 23 on the hinge I is secured to the metallic hanging plate I5 by means of screws 26. The jamb I2 has openings 25 cut therein to accommodate a part of the hinge structure and to allow the strap 2? to be secured to the hanging strip I5. Thus it will be observed that the box-like portion I9 and reinforcing pieces ZI serve as a rigid supporting means for hinging the sheet I3 to the jamb l2.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate other methods which may be employed to secure the sheet i3 to the hinge I4. Referring in particular to Fig. 5, it will be seen that sheet I3 is suitably secured between a pair of angle brackets 29, preferably by screws, and the brackets, in turn, are suitably secured to the strap 2S on the hinge I4, preferably by means of screws. Thin sheets of gum rubber weatherstrip 3l) may be included between the brackets 29 and the sheet I3 and the weatherstrip 30 may eX- tend back to the jamb I2 between the hinges to thereby effect more complete closure of the opening.

Referring to Fig. 6, a method of securing the sheet I3 to the hinge I4 is illustrated wherein a single angle bracket 32 is employed. The bracket 32 is secured to the sheet I3 by means of screws 33 and is suitably secured to .strap 23 of the hinge I4, preferably by screws. A single strip of gum rubber weatherstripping 3d may be included between the bracket 32 and the sheet i3 and the weatherstripping 34 may extend back to the face of jamb I2 to thereby effect more complete closure of the opening. f

In all of the embodiments of the invention shown and described, it is to be observed that a space will be left open between the jamb and the hinged edge of the sheet except at the hinges. This space may be lled by a suitable filler strip or it may be closed by the weatherstrip extensions between the hinges and between the bottom and top of the door and the bottom and top hinges, respectively, as described in conjunction with Figs. 5 and 6. A space of approximately .the same thickness as the strap 23 will also be present between the inner surface of the jamb and the hanging strip I5, except at the hinges, which space may also be filled with a suitable filler piece.

Referring to Fig. 4, a reinforcing portion for strengthening the outer edge of the sheet I3 may comprise a metallic clamping member 35, which serves to secure a loop 36 of gum rubber or the like to the sheet I3 by means of clamping screws 3'? and 3B. The screws 31 serve to secure the clamping member directly to the sheet i3 and the screws 38 pass through the loop 36 of gum rubber or the like to cause the loop to be clamped between the clamping member 35 and the sheet I3. Strips of gum rubber cushioning 39 may also be provided between the loop 36 and the sheet I3 and clamping member 35, respectively. It is obvious that one function of the loop 36 of rubber or the like is also to effect more complete closure ofthe opening. Although the reinforcing portion at the outer edge of the sheet I3 has been shown and described as comprising the clamping member 35 and loop of gum rubber 33, other methods of reinforcing the outer edge may be employed. For example, the sheet I3 may be bent upon itself at the outer edge to form a loop or other tubular structure which may serve to impart rigidity to the outer edge of the sheet I3.

The door shown and described herein comprises a single sheet of a light metal and, although one specific alloy has been described hereinbefore as being particularly suited for the purpose, the material used for the sheet I3 may be any one of a number of commercially available light metals or metallic alloys. For example, the sheet may consist of an alloy of aluminum having very slight amounts of copper, manganese and magnesium alloyed therewith, in which case the sheet has a very high tensile strength and a very high yield strength. Other aluminum alloys containing very small amounts of copper, silicon, magnesium and chromium may be employed which give even higher tensile strength and yield strength. It is further desirable7 in the case of an aluminum alloy sheet, to use an alloy which has been completely covered with commercially pure aluminum, in which case the door becomes less susceptible tc corrosive action or other damage due to atmospheric conditions. Any other of the relatively light and iiexible metals or metal alloys which exhibit satisfactory mechanical properties may be employed. For example, commercially available magnesium sheet may be used in place of any of the metals described above. although the exact thickness of the sheet of metal depends upon its size and use, it has been found that a sheet of a thickness of approximately .125 inch is highly satisfactory under most conditions. i

Since the hinges illustrated herein form no part of the invention, their action has not :been described in detail, particularly since the hinges shown are conventional double acting hinges. It is to be noted that it is entirely possible to use single acting hinges where only one way traffic is to be accommodated and it is further obvious that any number or type of hinges may be employed depending upon the situation encountered.

it is to be understood that the above-described .arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles ofthe invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will, embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is: l. In an impact actuated swinging door, a sheet of vertically corrugated resilient metal having reinforcements only on the hinge edge and on the free edge parallel thereto to permit vertical flexing throughout its length to absorb most of the shock when struck while preventing destructive transverse flexing along a horizontal line, said reinforcement on the hinge edge being provided by forming that portion of the sheet into a tubular rigid portion to which hinges are secured, and the reinforcing member secured along the said free edge clamping a projecting loop of resilient material which extends the length of the door.

2. in an impact actuated swinging door, a single sheet of vertically corrugated resilient aluminum alloy having reinforcements only on the hinge edge and on the free edge parallel thereto, said reinforcement on the hinge edge being provided by forming the sheet into a tubular rigid portion, a reinforcing member positioned within the said tubular portion to which a hinge 5 is secured, a reinforcing element secured along the said free edge, a loop of resilient material positioned between the reinforcing element and the said free edge, and means for clamping the loop of resilientl material between the reinforcing element and the said free edge.

VINCENT MCLEAN.

References Cited in the le 0f this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 184,086 Kittredge et al Nov. 7, 1876 Number 6 Name Date Spicer Sept. 3, 1907 Orr et al Mar. 17, 1914 Otte Dee. 11, 1917 Roth et a1 Dec. 28, 1920 Roberts June 28, 1938 Mims July 5, 1938 Gilpin May 14, 1940 Kann Apr. 14, 1,942 

